Autumn is my favorite time of the year. The leaves are falling, the temperature is getting colder and college basketball is about ready to start. In Topeka, we are surrounded by some great college basketball programs. Here’s a quick overview of where some of the local teams stand to begin the season. You can click on the name of the school to get their complete schedule.

The Washburn University men’s basketball team hopefully will replicate some of the success they had last season when they finished 20-10. There will be a new look to the team since Bob Chipman retired last season after 38 years as head coach. He’s been succeeded by former University of Kansas basketball player Brett Ballard. The Ichabods return with senior forward Brady Skeens who is pre-season honorable mention All-American.

The Washburn University women’s basketball team will try to improve on last year’s 17-12 record. It is head coach Ron McHenry’s 18th year in charge. This year’s team is very young and they only return one starter, Reagan Phelan.

The Kansas State University men’s basketball team is led by sixth year head coach Bruce Weber. Last year’s team went 21-14 losing to Cincinnati in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They return with starters Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade who definitely want to improve upon that record.

The Kansas State University women’s basketball team went 23-11 last year led by third year head coach Jeff Mittie. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament eventually losing to Stanford in the second round.

The University of Kansas men’s basketball team had a great season last year going 31-5 but they lost to Oregon in the elite eight of the NCAA Tournament. This year they will be competing for their 14th Big XII title in a row. They start the year ranked third in the country. A lot of different faces will be on this year’s team with only one returning starter, Davonte Graham. They have already played in one pre-season game beating Missouri 93-87 (a fundraiser for hurricane relief).

The University of Kansas women’s basketball team is led by third year head coach Brandon Schneider. They hope to improve upon last year with seven returning players from a team that went 8-21, only winning one Big XII game.

Enjoy this college basketball season whether you are watching the games on TV or traveling to watch the games live. In case that isn’t enough here are some great basketball book recommendations to keep you entertained in between the games.

]]>Remembering Sports Legends We Lost in 2015https://tscpl.org/sports/remembering-sports-legends-we-lost-in-2015
Thu, 07 Jan 2016 12:00:57 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=84180As a new year begins, let’s look back to some of the sports legends that we lost in 2015.

]]>As a new year begins, let’s look back to some of the sports legends that we lost in 2015.

Baseball lost a couple of legendary players in Ernie Banks and Yogi Berra.Ernie Banks played for the Chicago Cubs from 1953 through 1971 and entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. A 14 time All-Star Banks ended his career with 512 home runs and over 1636 runs batted in. He was the National League MVP twice (1958; 1959) and National League home run leader twice (1958; 1960). Ernie Banks died of a heart attack on January 23rd at the age of 83.

Yogi Berra played for the New York Yankees from 1946-1963. He was also the manager for both the New York Mets (1972-1975) and the Yankees (1964; 1984-1985). Berra an 18 time All-Star and 13 time World Series champion ended his career with 358 home runs and 1430 runs batted in. He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Berra died on September 22 at the age of 90.

College basketball also lost a couple of legendary coaches in 2015.

Dean Smith coached the North Carolina men’s basketball team for 36 years (1961-1997). During that time frame he was ACC coach of the year 9 times, national coach of the year 4 times and won the National Championship twice (1982; 1993) Smith was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. Dean Smith died on February 7 at the age of 83.

Jerry Tarkanian coached college basketball for 31 years. He was the coach at Long Beach State from 1968-1973, UNLV from 1973-1992 and Fresno State from 1995-2002. He was most well-known for his stint with the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV. During that time he was the National Coach of the Year (1983) and won a National Championship (1990). He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. He died on February 11th at the age of 84.

If you want a little more information about these sports legends, check out some of these titles from your library:

]]>Tour de Francehttps://tscpl.org/sports/tour-de-france
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 11:00:36 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=79431While I’m not a huge cycling fan every July I always seem to get sucked into watching the Tour de France. I think its part the beautiful scenery and part the exciting, edge of your seat racing. Whatever it is I can’t take my eyes off it. The Tour de France is a multi-stage bicycle […]

]]>While I’m not a huge cycling fan every July I always seem to get sucked into watching the Tour de France. I think its part the beautiful scenery and part the exciting, edge of your seat racing. Whatever it is I can’t take my eyes off it.

The Tour de France is a multi-stage bicycle race that takes place mainly in France (in the past the tour has gone through Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, the U.K. and Italy). While the course is different every year the stages all remain the same. Some of these stages include mass-start stage, individual time trials, and team time trials.

The first Tour was held in 1903 as a publicity stunt by the magazine L’Auto. There were about 60 participants, many of whom would not make it past the first stage. The eventual winner was Maurice Garin who finished 64 hours ahead of the last place rider. The tour has been held annually stopping only for the two World Wars. (1915-1919; 1940-1947). This year’s tour had 198 participants on 22 team.

The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23-day period and cover around 2,200 miles. There are different classifications within the Tour de France. The biggest, most important is the General Classification. The rider with the lowest overall time at the end of each stage gets to wear the iconic yellow jersey. The rider who has the yellow jersey after the last stage, in Paris is the overall winner of the tour. Another classification within the Tour is Mountains Classification. In this the cyclist receive point for making it to the top of a mountain first. The winner of these stages gets to wear the polka dot jersey.

]]>Women’s World Cuphttps://tscpl.org/sports/womens-world-cup
Thu, 28 May 2015 11:00:06 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=77079Soccer fans, get ready to cheer on the United States once again this summer. This time it’s the women’s turn. The FIFA Women’s World Cup will start on Saturday June 6, 2015. The Canadian’s are the host this year and the United States will play its first game on Monday June 8 against Australia. The […]

]]>Soccer fans, get ready to cheer on the United States once again this summer. This time it’s the women’s turn. The FIFA Women’s World Cup will start on Saturday June 6, 2015. The Canadian’s are the host this year and the United States will play its first game on Monday June 8 against Australia.

The first women’s World Cup tournament was held in China in 1991. Like the men’s tournament it is held every four years. Historically, the United States has done very well winning it all twice (1991, 1999). The last three World Cups have not been kind to the U.S. with three third places and a runner-up in 2011.

The United States has drawn a very tough group this time. They will play against Australia, Sweden and Nigeria. Sweden has always been a good team coming in third place twice (1991,2011) and runner-up once (2003).

Click the links below for more information about this year’s women’s World Cup:

]]>Soccer Capital of Americahttps://tscpl.org/sports/soccer-capital-america
Thu, 02 Oct 2014 11:00:12 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=67804A little over a year ago, at the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game, Sporting Kansas City dubbed Kansas City the “Soccer Capital of America”. At the time it seemed like a very audacious statement, but if this past year is any indication they might not have been far off. It all began on a […]

]]> A little over a year ago, at the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game, Sporting Kansas City dubbed Kansas City the “Soccer Capital of America”. At the time it seemed like a very audacious statement, but if this past year is any indication they might not have been far off.

It all began on a freezing cold day last December when Sporting Kansas City defeated Salt Lake City to claim the 2014 MLS championship. This was Kansas City’s first championship since 2000. Over 21,000 thousand people attended the game and stayed for the longest, coldest championship game on record.

Then in March of 2014 the Missouri Comets won the Major Indoor League Soccer (MILS) championship. Unfortunately, this was the last championship of the MILS because the league folded after the 2014 season. But not to worry the Comets are now playing in the Major Arena Soccer League and play their games at the Independence Events Center in Independence, Missouri.

Finally, it was the women’s turn. In only the second season of the National Women’s Soccer League FC Kansas City defeated the Seattle Reign to capture it first NWSL title. A little under 5,000 spectators watched the game which was played in Seattle, Washington.

Calling Kansas City the “Soccer Capital of America” brings about a lot of debate in the soccer community. Everyone has their own opinions, but for one city to own the men’s, women’s and indoor championships all in the same year is an extraordinary feat. One that I believe gives Kansas City the right to call itself the “Soccer Capital of America”, at least in 2014.

]]>English Premier Leaguehttps://tscpl.org/sports/english-premier-league
Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:00:53 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=65752If you were to ask soccer fans around the world what the best league in the world is the majority would probably say the English Premier League (EPL). They routinely get the top talent from all corners of the globe. The games are physical and exciting to watch. They are insanely popular throughout the world. […]

]]>If you were to ask soccer fans around the world what the best league in the world is the majority would probably say the English Premier League (EPL). They routinely get the top talent from all corners of the globe. The games are physical and exciting to watch. They are insanely popular throughout the world. The Premier League is the most watched league on the planet. The games are broadcast to about 640 million homes in 212 territories around the world. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to see kids from Asia to South America wearing Manchester United jerseys.

The original English football league was founded in 1888. At that time twelve clubs battled it out for the championship. This league lasted 104 years until the current version of the English Premier League was formed in 1992. There are currently twenty teams in the Premier League. They play from August to May, with each team playing the others twice in a season. At the end of the season the bottom three teams get relegated to a lower division and the top three teams get to play in a European club competition called the Champions League.

The 2014-2015 season will start on Saturday August 16. Last year’s champion Manchester City will be looking to repeat, but Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United will be right on their heels. It will be the start of a long and exciting season.

]]>World Cup – Watch it at the Library!https://tscpl.org/sports/world-cup-watch-it-at-the-library
Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:00:25 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=63851Once every four years the world stops for a moment and focus’ its attention on soccer. The World Cup, the #1 most watched sporting event in the world, will officially kick off on Thursday June 12, 2014 in Brazil to the delight of hundreds of millions of soccer fans. For those who don’t know a […]

]]>Once every four years the world stops for a moment and focus’ its attention on soccer. The World Cup, the #1 most watched sporting event in the world, will officially kick off on Thursday June 12, 2014 in Brazil to the delight of hundreds of millions of soccer fans.

For those who don’t know a lot about soccer, the World Cup is a tournament featuring thirty-two senior men’s national teams. The World Cup has been held every four years since 1930, excluding 1942 and 1946 during World War II.

The thirty-two teams are placed in eight groups of four to start with. They will each play each team in their group once. After that ends the two teams with the highest point totals move on (you get three points for a win and one point for a tie). The last sixteen teams will then play in the knock-out stage until it is whittled down to two teams. On July 13, 2014 the last two teams will play in the World Cup final, which will be seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

The United States national team has qualified for every World Cup since 1990. While the U.S. will be an exciting team to watch they are not considered a favorite this year. Of local interest this year’s team does include Kansas’ first World Cup soccer player, Matt Besler. Besler plays his club soccer for Sporting Kansas City. So definitely root for him. The favorites for this year’s World Cup are the host nation Brazil, Spain, and Germany.

Please come watch some World Cup soccer with us here at your library! We will be showing all the group games for the United States and two of Mexico’s group games. Our schedule is:

]]>March Madness at Your Libraryhttps://tscpl.org/sports/march-madness-library
Thu, 20 Mar 2014 11:00:10 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=60704March Madness is in my opinion the best time of the year. For five long months you have followed your favorite college basketball team through the highs and lows of their season. Finally, the wait is over, and if you are a fan of one of the three Division I schools in Kansas you are one happy person.

]]>March Madness is in my opinion the best time of the year. For five long months you have followed your favorite college basketball team through the highs and lows of non-conference and conference play, and through their conference tournaments. For many of us there were moments when our team looked good enough to win it all, and moments where we thought they were terrible and might not make the NCAA tournament at all. Finally, the wait is over, and if you are a fan of one of the three Division I schools in Kansas you are one happy person. Wichita State earned a #1 seed and will play on Friday 3/21 at 6:10 pm, Kansas University a #2 seed and will play on Friday 3/21 at 3:10 pm, and Kansas State a #9 seed and will also play on Friday 3/21 at 8:40 pm.

If you are looking for a place to watch some of the games we will be showing them here at the library starting on Thursday March 20. All games will be shown in Marvin Auditorium 101C on the big screen. The schedule will be:

]]>College Basketball Has Arrivedhttps://tscpl.org/sports/college-basketball-arrived
Thu, 17 Oct 2013 20:55:35 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=55095This is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing, the air is cooler, and college basketball is about to start. It’s the time of year when all college basketball fans have hope. This could be the year when your team puts it all together and wins a tournament, the conference, or even the […]

]]>This is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing, the air is cooler, and college basketball is about to start. It’s the time of year when all college basketball fans have hope. This could be the year when your team puts it all together and wins a tournament, the conference, or even the national championship. All things are possible.

Teams here in Kansas should be especially excited. Coming off a Final Four appearance, Wichita State is looking to repeat last year’s success. Although they have lost a few seniors, they are still a deep team and hope to win the Missouri Valley Conference. Kansas State will have a different look from last year, with several seniors and a few others departing the team, and five freshman joining the team. Hopefully, the team will come together and have a good year. The University of Kansas will also have a completely different team from last year. Seven freshmen will be on the roster this year, including Andrew Wiggins, the top freshman in the class of 2013. This should be exciting.

There has been one rule change that will benefit some of the younger teams. It used to be that you could practice 30 days before the first game, but it changed this year to 40 days. Now teams get a little extra time to learn to play together. Whatever the outcome this is sure to be a great college basketball season. I can’t wait for November.

]]>MLS All-Star Game Comes to Kansas Cityhttps://tscpl.org/sports/mls-all-star-game-comes-to-kansas-city
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 13:00:36 +0000http://tscpl.org/?p=52009All eyes (in the soccer world) will once again be on Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS next week. Sporting Kansas City is set to host the MLS All-Star game on Wednesday July 31st. Their opponents will be A.S. Roma out of the Italian league. This is a first for Kansas City, although they are […]

All eyes (in the soccer world) will once again be on Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS next week. Sporting Kansas City is set to host the MLS All-Star game on Wednesday July 31st. Their opponents will be A.S. Roma out of the Italian league. This is a first for Kansas City, although they are one of the founding members of the MLS this is the only time they have hosted the All-Star game.
The MLS All-Star game is set up a little different than All-Star games in the other major sports. Instead of MLS players out of the Eastern Conference playing MLS players out of the Western conference, they combine the two conferences and play a club out of Europe or Mexico. In the past few years they have played teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton, Celtic, and Guadalajara. This makes it a little more interesting for the casual soccer fan and for hardcore MLS fans alike.
This should be a great way to show off the stadium, MLS, and Kansas City to a larger audience. Besides the game, there will be several events around town. On Tuesday July 30 there will be a fashion show by Sporting defender Aurelien Collin. There will also be two concerts that week. One show on Monday July 29th starring Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and the other concert on Tuesday starring The Silversun Pickups. Although these concerts are free you will need a ticket to get in. For more information about the All-Star game go to the Sporting Kansas City website. http://www.sportingkc.com/guides/mls-all-star. Hopefully, fun filled week will culminate in a great soccer match.